Production of fixed handle and cap units for hair clippers



Aug. 31 1926. 1,598,366

J. DEAN PRODUCTION OF FIXED HANDLE AND CAP UNITS FOR HAIR CLIPPERS Filed A ril 15, 1925 INVENTOR.

BY W M ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 31, 1925.

U ETTE r. STATES JOHN DEAN, OF R AGIIIE, WISCONSIN.

PRODUCTION OF FIXED HANDLE AND CAP-UNITS FDR HAIR CLIPPERS.

Application filed April 15, 1925. Serial No. 23,274.

Thisinventionrelates to the production of parts for that. type of hand hair clippers Where in the cap and the fixed. handle are rigidly united andv constitute a unit as in the common so-called torsion spring handclippers; and the objects and nature of my invention will be readily' understood by those skilled in the art in the light ofthe following explanations of my method of producing fixed handle and cap units for hair clippers.

Handhair clippers of the type mentioned, as now found on the market, embody a fiat bottom blade or comb plate that constitutes the base plate of the implement; a cooperating reciprocating blade that slides on the top face of the base plate; a cap and the fixed handle formed by a single casting; the lever handle composed of a single casting and fulcrumed on a hollow pintle formed by a: bushing rigid with the cap, and receiving the' main bolt passing through the base plate, pintle and cap and having the clamping nut located above the cap, and. atorsion spring arranged within the cap surrounding the hub of the lever handle withone end bearing on the lever handle and the other end confined to the cap, the lever handle having a forwardly extending nose within the cap loosely entering the reciprocating,- blade for the purpose of reciprocating said blade as the lever handle is oscillated; These clippers now on the market are'unduly expensive in production, mainly because of the one piece casting forming the cap and fixed handle which as a foundry or casting problem is very diflicult and expensive to produce, and which when properly produced requires much expensive hand work in preparation and fitting for assembly, and in the proper preparation and finishing thereof to receive the necessary platingi and in the pro.- duotion of the approximately-perfect finished plated article without objectionable blemishes. In fact, about. onev half of the factory or manufacturing; cost of these old clippers, is chargeable against the finishing operationsrequired mainly due tothe comparatively heavy. complicated casting that forms the cap and fixed handle, and the variations in such castings which may run as high as from thirty to forty one thousandths of an: inch or more even in otherwise perfect castings,

An. object of my invention is to reduce the cost of production ofelippers of the gentype wherein before mentioned.

With this and other objects in view, my invention involves separately producing the cap by a method, other than by casting, which will necessarily produce caps approximately accurate and uniform in essential dimensions and of such surface conditions as to avoid expensive hand finishing to condition for proper plating; and separately producing. the fixed handle portion by casting or otherwise in such size and form as to permit mechanical finishing thereof for proper plating, without the necessity of expensive hand work, and in the formation of such separately produced cap and handle portion as to permit a strong rigid. inexpensive union thereof at apreferably concealed joint and the production of a strong durable rigidly united cap and handle unit that can be properly plated without a visible. objectionable blemish in the plating at the union between cap and handle portion.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof:

Fig. 1 is a detail elevation of the fixed handle and cap unit, the handle portion being partially broken away.

Fig. 2 is a topplan of said unit, the handle portion appearing. in partin cross section.

Fig; Sshows said unit in vertical section.

Fig. 4 shows the unit in bottom plan.

Fig. 5 shows the cap, in perspective, before assembly with the handle portion.

6 is a detail elevation of the cap partially broken away.

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective of the handle portion, partially broken away.

Fig. 8 is a detail planview of the sheet metal blank from which the cap is formed.

The cap 4, is hollow and in the form of an inverted cup or hood, and is formed by dies and preferably composed of sheet or plate steel.

This cap is provided with a vertical lon gitudinally hollow trunnion 5, rigid with and depending withinthe cap from. the flat top wall thereof, andthe bore of thistrum nion is open at the top of the cap, for the passage of the clamping bolt of the hair clipper assembly, hereinbefore described. The fixed handle 8 is rigid with the cap and projects upwardly and rearwardly from an upper rear corner of the cap. The cap is open at the opposite rear corner for the passage and free swing of the upwardly and rearwardly projecting lever operating handle of said hair clipper assembly, wherein said lever handle is formed with a hub" mounted and oscillating on said trunnion 5.

The cap 4 is formed to approximately cover and enclose the hair clipper reciprocating blade up to the toothed front portion thereof. The lower front edge portions of the cap are formed to bear on and hold the blade down to operative [sliding engageinent with the top face of the hair clipper base plate with the teeth of the blade inoperative sliding engagement with the teeth of the base plate, and to hold the blade to straight line reciprocation.

The operating lever handle and its hub and nose, are usually formed by a single casting, which is small and of such form that it can be economically produced, and then economically finished for electroplating by mechanical processes or means without requiring expensive hand work. The same is true of the handle 8, apart from the cap. I hence, form the handle 8, separately from the cap, and provide the, same with a flatlaterally enlarged securing head 8*, integralwith the handle and projecting forwardly from the, lower or front end thereof. This handle portion 8 with its securing head is small and of such shape that it can be economically produced in one piece by casting and economically finished for electroplating by mechanical processes or means Without requiring expensive hand labor.

The public and trade requirements necessitates electroplating of the exterior surfaces of the cap, as well as the handles, and hence the cap surfaces must be in condition to receive electroplating and produce a proper plated surface. Also, caps must be produced accurately and unifori. ly dimensioned, to avoid expensive hand fitting and machining work, preparatory to assembling with the blades, etc. It is not possible to attain these ends, by either casting the caps separately or in one piece with the handles 8. I attain the results desired by forming the caps separately, not by a casting operation, but by the use of plate 1netal,'such as sheet or plate steel, and dies by which the plate or sheet metal is accurately and uniformly shaped to the exact form and dimensions required with exterior surfaces that can be electroplated to produce the plated surfaces required without expensive finishing preparatory to plating. The dies will produce a series of plate metal caps that are accurately uniform in shape and dimensions to meet the predetermined requirements, for quick and accurate assembly with other parts of the clippers.

The separately produced caps and handles 8 are rigidly and permanently united in proper relation before electroplating, with the formation of a joint at the union between handle and cap that is approximately hidden or concealed, after the cap handle unit is plated and that does not result in an objectionable blemish. in the plated surfaces at the union.

In the particular example shown, the cap is composed of cold rolled sheet or plate steel shaped up by the use of dies, although I do not wish to limit all features of my invention to a cap composed of cold rolled steel.

This sheet or plate metal. cap is formed or shaped to, lit and interlock with the cast handle member 8, in such manner to perit the format-ion of the desired rigid per manent union between the handle and cap members. For instance, in the OX1 nple il lustratcd, the sheet metal cap is formed with a flat top all 18, at its outer rear corner having a cut off portion or notch forming a VGTJlCfil opening 12, while the upper portion of the rear depending wall 14 of the cap is formed with a laterally elongated horizontal slot 15, at one end portion merging into vertical opening 12, and at the opposite end opening into the open rear corner portion of the cap, said slot being approximately flush with the bottom surface of the fiat top wall 13 of the cap.

The cap, with its said rear upper openings, is so formed with respect to the head 8 and its junction with the handle portion 8, that said parts can be assembled (after the handle portion 8 has been linished for plating as by a mechanical tumbling treatment) by slipping the head S forwardly into the cap through slot 15 until the handle 8 where it rises from the head 8 fits and closes the vertical opening 12 and the rear edge of the head 8, closes the slot 15 and is flush with the rear vertical face of the rear wall 14:, and the front edge of the head 8 approximately abuts the upper part of the inner surface of the (leper '=.1.ng front wall of the cap. When the handle and cap are thus assembled, the head 8 is concealedwithin. the cap parallel with the cap top wall 13 and fitting the bottom surface thereof and approximately fully occupying the upper end or top portion of the interior of the cap. While the cap and. handle are thus held assembled in the relative positions that they are to assume p r-r manently in the completed handle-cap u'a the cap and handle head are permanent and rigidly united by any suitable means or method, as by brazing, soldering, riveting, welding or otherwise. I find electric spot welding admirably adapted for the purpose, and show the handle portion and the cap permanently and rigidly united by spot welding at points a, between the handle head 8, and the top wall of the cap. The head 8 within the cap thus faces the underside of cap top wall 13 and is united thereto and the cap top is thus laminated or of double thickness. This double-thickness cap wall can then be vertically bored or drilled to form the bore that receives the upper end of the hollow trunnion 5, and in which the same is rigidly anchored to the cap. The handle portion head 8 and the sheet steel top wall of the cap provide a thick deep foundation for the strong rigid anchoring of the trunnion.

After th handle portion and cap have thus been permanently united by the joint or union concealed within the cap, exterior surfaces of the handle-cap unit thus formed, can be finished by electroplating and burnishing.

The unit thus formed can be easily as sembled with the blades, operating handle, spring and bolt, without expensive hand work and fitting to provide the necessary clearance within the cap for working parts. The sheet steel shaped by the dies will accurately produce the cap according to the predeterniined dimensions necessary to pro vide clearance and accurate fitting of the cap ivith and to the blades.

The caps can be pressed up by dies from the flat plate or sheet steel blank of Fig. 11, composed, say, of one sixteenth cold rolled mild steel, and the top hole and back slot can be punched after the cap has been formed by the dies, although I do not wish to so limit all features of my invention, as other forms, material, and 'steps might be employed and followed.

The article here shown and described is not claimed herein, as such article forms the subject matter of and is claimed in my application, Serial No. 109,756, filed May 17, 1926.

It is evident that various changes, modifications and variations might be restored to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact disclosures hereof.

What I claim is:

1. In the production of a fixed handle and cap unit for hand hair clippers, those steps which consist in forming the handle of the unit as a separate hard metal casting, finishing the surface of said cast handle by a mechanical tumbling operation, pressing a sheet metal cap for said unit with its exterior surface thereby finished, fixing said separate handle and cap together in rigid permanent operative handle and cap unit form, and then plating the finished surfaces of said unit.

2. In the production of a fixed handle and cap unit for hand hair clippers, those steps which consist in separately forming the complete handle portion of said unit with an extended securing end, separately forming the complete cap of said unit, and fixing together the handle portion and the cap in permanent rigid operative handle and cap unit form ith said securing end concealed within said cap.

3. In the production of a fixed handle and cap unit for hand hair clippers, those steps which consist in pressing up a separate cap from sheet metal by dies and whereby producing the cap with exterior surfaces finished for plating, separately forming the handle, finishing the handle by mechanical process for plating, fixing together the separate handle and cap to rigid permanent operative handle and cap unit form, and then plating said handle and cap unit.

4:. In the production of a fixed plated handle and cap unit for hand hair clippers, those steps which consist in separately forming a cast hard metal handle, finishing the exterior surface thereof by a mechanical tumbling operation, pressing up the cap from sheet steel and thereby forming the cap with afinished exterior surface for plating, fixing together the separate cap and handle to rigid permanent operative handle and cap unit form with a portion of the handle within and covered by the cap, and then plating the rigid handle and cap unit.

5. In the production of a fixed handle and cap unit for hand hair clippers, those steps which consist in separately forming the cap with an opening for insertion of the handle, separately forming the handle with an end shaped to fit within said cap, assembling the handle and cap with the handle extendin through said opening and said end fitted within the cap and securing together the cap and said end with the handle and cap in fixed permanent operative handle and cap unit form.

6. In the production of a fixed handle and cap unit for hand hair clippers, those steps which consist in separately forming the cap, separately forming the handle with an end shaped to fit within the cap and to the underside of the top thereof, assembling the cap and handle with said end fitting within and fixed to said cap and the handle extending to the exterior of and rearwardly from the cap, and fixedly anchoring the trunnion in said end and the cap top.

Signed at Racine, Wisconsin, this 4: day of April 1925.

JOHN DEAN. 

